Geothermal (3)

With over 50 percent of the average household's energy bill going towards heating and cooling, many homeowners are looking for economical and greener alternatives than traditional gas, oil or electric systems.

Geothermal works on the simple principle that regardless of the temperature above ground, the temperature deep underground is very consistent. This means that during the hot summer months, the underground temperature is often much cooler than the ambient air temperature. During the cold winter months, the underground temperature is warmer than the outside air.

The take advantage of this temperature difference, geothermal systems act like a large heat pump, extracting the warm air underground during the winter and exchanging it with the cooler air inside the home, then reversing the process in the summer to cool the home.The result is a renewable source of heating and cooling that provides a virtually supply of energy.

While a geothermal system does require electricity to power the heat pump, it uses far less power than a conventional central heating and cooling system. For every one dollar of electricity used they return up to four dollars of heat.

Have questions about geothermal heating and cooling for your home? Give Gibson's Heating and Plumbing a call, we can help answer all you questions.

Many Indiana homeowners are discovering the benefits of geothermal for saving money on their heating and cooling costs while reducing their carbon footprint. While the initial cost of installing a geothermal system is considerably more than a conventional heating and cooling system, a typical geothermal system will pay for itself in reduced energy use within about 10 years. In addition, while a conventional heating and cooling system may last 12 to 15 years, the indoor part of a ground-sourced heat pump can last 18 to 24 years.

To encourage more homeowners to invest in renewable, clean energy such as geothermal, the federal government and State of Indiana offer incentives. The federal government, for example, is offering a tax credit of 30 percent of a geothermal system's cost until 2016. The State of Indiana offer a property tax exemption for homeowners.

Have questions about home geothermal systems? Give us a call, we're here to help.

With rising energy costs many homeowners are asking if geothermal energy could be a cost effective way to heat and cool their home. Geothermal heating and cooling offers several advantages over conventional electric, gas and oil based systems, as well as a few disadvantages.

Geothermal is not a new technology, it operates on the age old principle of heat exchange and the fact that the temperature underground is a more or less a consistent 55F. Pipes are installed underground to circulate water throughout the ground. The water returns to an energy pump inside the home which uses the temperature difference to extract the energy from the water.

During the hot summer months, cooling with 55F water is more efficient than with a conventional AC condensor using electricity to chill 90F air. During the cold winter months, making heat from 55F water is far more efficient than heating 15F air with conventional fuels. Sounds simple enough, but what's the catch?

Disadvantages of Geothermal Systems

The main disadvantage of residential geothermal systems is the initial cost. Depending on the conditions for drilling the average residential geothermal energy system costs $10,000-$20,000. It's an investment that can take 5-10 years to pay off.

Another disadvantage is the geothermal pump needs a conventional power source, although it uses minimal amounts of energy.

Advantages of Geothermal Systems

The main advantage of residential geothermal systems is it's a truly renewable energy source that will never run out and is virtually cost free. Geothermal is also among the greenest ways to heat and cool your home, with an extremely small carbon footprint.

Geothermal energy is also extremely reliable. Because the temperature of the ground will be very consistent, energy costs and output will be reliable from the minute the system goes online and for many years down the road. Compared this to the variability of wind and solar energy and even fossil fuels which can fluctuate in price dramatically, geothermal is a safe bet for home energy savings.

Have questions about whether geothermal is right for your home? Give us a call, we're here to help.